Iq'her

by Elin Wyn

  But then, when all the troops had reached the ground, the impossible happened.

  Of their own accord, the vines simply started retreating, slithering back to the holes they had opened when they broke onto the surface. Everyone—friends and foes alike—simply watched it happen, surprise the one emotion on people’s faces.

  “Men!” A tall green Valorni bellowed, pointing straight at Roddik. “Remember why we’re here. The criminal, Roddik!”

  Roddik’s face turned pale the moment he heard his name, and his eyes grew wide with panic. He dropped his gun to the ground and tried to make a run for it, but he didn’t get far — one of the Valorni tackled him and subdued him, producing a pair of handcuffs from his belt and using them on Roddik’s wrists.

  “No! No! No!” Roddik cried out as he saw his group surrendering. Moving like a well-oiled machine, the aliens had every member of Roddik’s original group in handcuffs in less than a minute. “You fucking beasts! I’ll kill you all!”

  “No, you won’t,” Iq'her said, standing right in front of Roddik. Looking straight into my brother’s eyes, he turned off his holobelt, revealing his true appearance. “Not on my watch.”

  “Ilkay…?”

  “The name’s Iq'her.”

  “You fucking alien scum,” my brother continued to scream, even when one of the Valorni dragged him toward the shuttle. It pained me to see him like that, but I knew it needed to happen.

  My brother was dangerous, and he needed to be stopped. I realized with how strongly I felt for Iq'her -- safe and happy -- that my brother was the toxic, lethal opposite.

  “Stasia, you alright?” Iq'her asked me, reaching for me and laying one hand on my face. “I was so worried about you.”

  “I’m fine,” I smiled, resting my hand on top of his. “It’s over, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” he said. “We can go home now.”

  Iq’her

  It wasn’t the most cheerful flight back to Nyheim. In order to ensure that the prisoners didn’t attempt to take over any particular transport, they were spread out amongst them all, which meant that there were about eight humans—not counting Stasia—on the transport that I was on with my team and Rouhr.

  I looked at the people, only two of them were from Roddik’s original group. The other six were villagers that had taken arms up against us. There’s just too many of them, even without the villagers, I thought. We weren’t going to have enough room to house them all.

  Our transports were not the best vehicles possible for quiet conversation. The air that whooshed through it meant that we would have to speak up in order to be heard, even with comms. I tried to speak where only the general would hear me. “We don’t have enough room for all of the prisoners, if they remain prisoners, sir.”

  He nodded and turned to me, his voice just as loud as mine. “I know. What do you suggest?”

  I hadn’t thought that far ahead. There were a few buildings in the city proper that were large enough, but they weren’t properly outfitted. And, to be honest, the prospect of having a large group of prisoners within city limits was never a good idea. If they ever escaped, there was an entire city full of potential hostages, and this group had already shown me that taking hostages wasn’t far from their level of thinking.

  So that meant we would have to imprison them outside the city. The only places I could think of were the old quake stations. Some of them were massive and had lots of rooms. They wouldn’t take long to refit. Of course, they would have to be fenced or walled off eventually and have a housing area created for the prison guards, as well as other logistical issues. But it was the best idea I could come up with.

  “What about the quake stations, sir?” I suggested. “There’s a lot of logistical items that would need to be handled, but they would be far away from civilization and wouldn’t be a danger.” Of course, by placing them that far away, they could be seen as martyrs that were sent away just because we disagreed with their mentality.

  To solidify that thought, one of the humans from the original group spoke up. “That’s right, send us away. It proves you’re scared of us and what we stand for.” I looked at the one that spoke. He was one of the bigger men, with a terrible four-day stubble that he was trying to grow into a beard. A scar ran down his right arm from his shoulder to his elbow. He was also missing a few teeth, so it was hard for me to consider him as terribly intelligent.

  I’m automatically judging someone based on their looks, just like those foolish humans are.

  “We’re not scared of what you represent. I actually empathize with you a bit. There’s a couple of races out in the universe that I don’t like, either, because of how they are,” I explained. “So, I can understand a little bit of what you’re feeling. But you need to understand that we’re trying to make amends for the damage that was caused by our arrival with the Xathi.”

  “And I would be grateful for the help, if you bothered to do it our way instead of yours,” he spat back. “But you don’t want to. You think you know better, and you leave us out. You take our food, you take our women, you take our homes and think that you're better than us.”

  “That’s not true,” Rouhr said. “I have been getting the advice of humans during this entire process. We all have to live together.”

  Before Bad-Beard could talk again, one of the villagers spoke. “What’s happening, then? Why don’t you tell us that?”

  “Well,” I said, taking the conversation over. “After we crash landed here, fought the Xathi, and eventually defeated them, something odd started happening with some of the more sentient plant creatures.” I went on to explain what happened that led to Tella eventually becoming part of the team, as well as the massive vines that completely enclosed the city.

  “Eventually, one of my team members, partnering with a human woman, found something that was able to eliminate the vines that were imprisoning the city,” I continued explaining. “However, soon after the vines fell, reports began to come in that the plants we all use were dying. That’s the reasoning behind the food rationing mandate.”

  The villagers seemed to take our answer, but Bad-Beard wasn’t buying it. “Lies!” he yelled out. “How do we know that what you’re telling us is the truth? How do we know that all of this information is real? What if you’re making it up to cover up what you’re really doing?”

  I took the bait, “What are we doing that we have to cover up?”

  “You’re killing off our food so we’ll be too weak to fight back,” he started. “Then you’ll take over and take those of us that don’t immediately follow you blindly and throw us away, or kill us. Hell, you’re already taking us to jail and talking about doing it someplace really far away.”

  His friend from the group had looked on the fence about everything, now he was back on Bad-Beard’s side. The part that scared me was that two of the villagers were talking to one another and were nodding along with Bad-Beard’s accusations.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but Rouhr grabbed my shoulder. A shake of his head told me not to respond anymore, so I clamped my mouth shut.

  “I was right, wasn’t I? That’s why you won’t let him talk, huh? I fucking knew it!” For the rest of the trip back to Nyheim, Bad-Beard continued with his diatribe, throwing accusations, stories, and lies at us.

  When we landed, General Rouhr directed Teams One and Three and the ground teams to escort the humans to our small detention center where they would be held until we could figure out where to put them.

  “Keep the villagers apart from the others,” I suggested. “They weren’t part of the attack.”

  Rouhr nodded at me. “Good point. Do it,” he said to the others, then turned back to me. “Let’s talk.”

  “Hey, hey!” I heard Stasia shouting.

  I looked back to see Axtin grabbing her, gently for how big he was.

  “No, not her. She wasn’t part of the attack, either,” I said.

  “She was on the video,” Axtin countered.
/>   I glared at him. “She. Wasn’t. Part. Of. The. Attack.” I repeated slowly. “She was dragged along by her brother. She wasn’t a willing participant.”

  Axtin looked past me to Rouhr and Karzin. I assumed they both nodded or some other signal that told him to let her go.

  He released her and I held my hand out to her.

  She came over and took my hand, holding on so tight it almost hurt.

  We followed Rouhr back to his office. He asked for my report, so I explained to him what had happened; how I had tracked them down, how the plants and vegetation were present when we first made camp, then were dying or dead the next day, how there were no animals to be found, and how Roddik and his inside people had come up with the idea of taking over the settlement instead of simply joining it.

  Stasia confirmed my report and made her own report as well, albeit a bit hesitantly.

  “Understood,” Rouhr said. “As to your idea for using one of the quake stations, it’s not a bad idea. My only concern is how long it would take to refit the place and construct some sort of barrier around it so no one would be able to escape.”

  “We could always make the prisoners build the wall,” Karzin said.

  “Oh, that’ll go over well with the humans that hold sympathy towards them,” I snapped, instantly regretting it. “My apologies for my tone, Commander.”

  “Forgiven,” Karzin said. “Then what do you suggest? Even if we commission the work and have the work paid for, any humans associated with the project will know that it’s a prison for humans.”

  “Why does it have to be just for humans?” Stasia asked.

  I laid my hand on hers. “Think about it. The first people that will be imprisoned there hate us,” I moved my hand to indicate the non-humans in the office. “If we were to throw a non-human in there with them, we’re basically assigning them to death.”

  “Then what do we do?” she asked me. I didn’t have an answer.

  “Do you want to administer it?” Rouhr asked me.

  “Me? Run the prison?” Surprisingly, it held a bit of appeal to me. I could institute programs and work-orders that would be used to help change the prisoners, get them to see that we weren’t bad people. Maybe even get them to learn some skills, or augment the ones they already had, and help them become more productive to society as a whole.

  “No, thank you, sir. I’d rather stay here.”

  “Why?”

  I looked at Stasia. “I want to help prove that she wasn’t a willing part of this, that she only went along because she was trying to keep a promise to her parents. And I want to work with her on trying to improve relations between all of us.”

  Stasia smiled a thank you at me.

  There was no way I could leave that smile.

  Stasia

  “Are you sure this is fine?” I asked, hesitantly stepping inside.

  The large family next door to my old apartment was spilling over, far too many people crammed into a small space.

  With memories of Roddik haunting me at every turn, it had been a relief when Iq’her suggested I stay at his place for a while, let them have the extra space. When I wanted to move on, I could. Someplace better for one person. Someplace with fewer memories.

  I thought it was a good idea when he had said it, but now, standing in the middle of his living room, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  I didn’t want to be a nuisance, especially since I knew Iq'her was awfully busy.

  “Of course it is fine.” He closed the door behind him and offering me a wide smile. “In fact, it’s more than just fine. I’m happy you’ve decided to stay here with me. Being by myself all the time… it gets lonely.”

  “I know that feeling,” I whispered, sinking onto his couch.

  Even though I had been living with Roddik before everything went to hell, I still felt completely alone. In fact, whenever Roddik used to be in the apartment, I felt even lonelier. His presence had been disquieting, a reminder of my failure as his sister.

  “I’ve let everybody down,” I continued, biting down on my bottom lip. I had been running on pure adrenaline the past few days, but now reality was slowly starting to sink in. “My brother, my parents… I’ve failed everyone. “

  “Stasia—”

  “Maybe I deserve to be arrested. Roddik got so lost in his ways because of me… had I been stronger, maybe he wouldn’t have turned out the way he did.” I looked down at my feet, feeling that hollowness in my heart growing with each word I said. “This is all my fault, Iq'her.”

  “None of this is your fault,” he tried to calm me, sitting next to me. He turned around on the couch so that he was facing me, and then placed two fingers under my chin. Forcing me to look into his eyes, he continued, “You did the best you could, Stasia. In fact, you did so much more than what Roddik deserved… he didn’t care for you, and that’s the truth. He never deserved a great sister like you are.”

  “Will he be okay?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “In prison, I mean.”

  “Yes, he will,” he replied in a heartbeat. “I’m going to make sure our prison system works. I don’t want it to be punishment. Whoever we send to prison, I want to make sure they have a chance at redemption.”

  “You’re a good man, Iq'her.”

  Breathing out softly, I laid my head on his shoulder. His presence was soothing in an inexplicable way… but I didn’t care for an explanation, anyway. All I knew was that I needed to have him around me. Inside me. I wanted to be consumed by him.

  In a way, Iq'her was now the only family I had left.

  “I try to be.” He drew me into a tight but gentle embrace. I fell into his arms willingly, relishing the warmth of his body. “And whenever I’m with you… it makes me want to be even better.”

  “I like that.” I nodded, pushing myself off him just so I could look into his eyes. “I feel exactly the same.”

  He smiled at that, and I just appreciated the way he did it.

  He was so much more handsome without the holobelt, his alien features exotic and alluring. He wasn’t as tall as some of his race, but, on the other hand, his body seemed more balanced than bulky. His athletic features gave him an air of agility despite his size, and I had seen up close just how strong he was.

  “It’s time we have a chance to make noises we couldn’t before,” I found myself saying, my heart beating faster. Standing up, I pulled my blouse over my head and unclasped my bra. Iq'her’s eyes went wide as his gaze took in the shape of my round breasts, and I couldn’t help but notice the hard shape that immediately tented his pants.

  “Sounds like a good idea,” he grinned, slowly getting to his feet.

  I closed in on him, pressing my naked breasts against his chest, and helped him remove his shirt. I took a moment to run my fingers over the contours of his muscles, but then allowed desire to guide my movements — I went down on my knees in front of him and, hooking my fingers in the waistband of his pants, I tugged them down to his ankles.

  “I want to see all of you,” I whispered as he kicked off his boots and pants. Holding my breath, I pulled his underwear down, freeing his erection, his hard cock springing free immediately. It was bigger than I had imagined it to be, and I couldn’t resist but lean into it right away, my tongue going from its tip to the base. “I want to taste all of you.”

  I took my time as I savored him, and only changed gears when he laid both hands on my head. The moment I felt the touch of his fingers, I opened my mouth wide and rolled my lips down his whole length, only stopping when I could feel him against the back of my throat.

  “Stasia…” he groaned, his voice brimming with pleasure.

  To know that I was the reason behind his pleasure was more than I could’ve wished for, and it just made me go harder. I bobbed my head up and down as fast as I could, pleasuring him with my mouth, savoring the scale and shape of his cock, and I only stopped when he took a step back. “I want more of you,” he growled, reaching down to hold my hand.

/>   Pulling me up to my feet, he pushed me back until I was pinned between his body and the wall. “I want all of you.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? I’m right here for the taking.”

  He didn’t reply to that.

  He paused for a moment, looking straight at me, and I saw hunger burning bright in his eyes. Before I even knew what was happening, he had already stripped the pants off my body. My heart pounded fiercely against my chest as he removed the final obstacle between both our bodies, my underwear, and I let out a quivering moan as the cool air of the room caressed my wetness.

  “You’re perfect, Stasia.” Leaning in, he brushed his lips against mine, teasing me. “I want to make you mine.”

  “And I want to be yours,” I whispered against his lips, reaching down to grab his hardness. I curled my fingers tightly around his cock, and he reacted fast: grabbing me by the waist, he pulled me up and into him. I laced my legs around his waist and, letting go of his hard, ribbed cock, threw both arms over his shoulders.

  I held my breath as I felt the enormous tip of his cock pressed against my entrance, and then rested my forehead on his chest as I readied myself for what was about to happen.

  One thrust and he was in.

  His cock was so large that I still couldn’t imagine how he had fit, even after taking him before, but I was so eager to have him that he easily slid deep inside me. I felt my inner walls struggle to accommodate him, but that just amplified the pleasure I was feeling, every ridge bringing me closer to ecstasy.

  “Harder,” I begged him, and he gave me exactly what I needed. He started pistoning into me at a frantic pace, his tongue now dancing in a frenzy around one of my nipples, and I felt as if my body was burning from the inside out.

  I had never experienced anything so amazing before and, now that I had had a taste, I was pretty sure I was going to become an addict.

  “So fucking good,” he growled, driving his cock deeper inside me with each of his thrusts. It didn’t take long for my whole body to start tensing up, my inner walls gripping his cock as tightly as a vise. My eyes rolled back as my mind stuttered, unable to keep up with processing each sensation that flared through me.